Just Another Runner

These are what happened on my second year of running. I finished my first marathon! I did it on Dec. 4, at the Quezon City International Marathon. I also did my first 6K, 16K, 21K and 32K. My goals for this year were to do a 21K and a marathon. DONE! I improved my personal bests on the 5K (0:33) and the 10K (1:16). I did a total of 14 races this year: 1 5K, 1 6K, 4 10Ks, 1 16K, 5 21Ks, 1 32K, and 1 42K I helped my wife finish a half marathon - something she said she would never do. I ended last year at 186 lbs. It didn't change this year. My waistline didn't change too. I thought that after training for and finishing a marathon, I would at least have a normal BMI. Oh well. I still have plantar fasciitis and for the first time I have a dead toenail (on my big toe; from my marathon). About my running gear: I retired my Mizuno Wave Elixir and Nike LunarGlide, and replaced them with the New Balance 870 and Nike LunarGlide 2. I bought 2 new Nike running shorts, 2 New Balance c

I've read in a lot of running blogs that all runners will get this sooner or later. It's like a badge. When you see this on someone, he or she either runs or drops stuff. Well I never had it until my first marathon. I noticed it only a few days after. Now, I too have the honor of having the badge.

Imagine that. After crossing the finish line of the 3rd Quezon City International Marathon yesterday morning, I am now a marathoner. It truly is a miracle that I was able to finish a marathon, but the bigger miracle is that I got to the starting line in the first place. For a long time, finishing a marathon has been a dream. It was what was on my mind the first time I laced up to go jogging when I was just a lanky teenager back in the early 80's. I eventually fell in love with running. My family got used to the thought that it's something that I do when no one else seems to be doing it. That dream kept me running while other teenagers had "better" things to do. But because of a disappointment in running caused by an injury, and the impatience of youth, I suddenly stopped. The dream faded but not completely. Through the years, I would occasionally literally dream of running. The scene will always be of me running happily and effortlessly on my usual routes.

I'm blogging my preparations and strategies so that I don't forget anything. Also because I'm so excited and anxious at the same time. Months of preparations and years of dreaming, and this is it. Only one more week until QCIM! This week ... Eat properly. Don't eat anything that will upset my stomach or make me gain weight. That means no dairy, minimize fatty foods, don't eat too much rice until carbo-loading time. Monday, 45 minute easy run Starting Thursday evening, carbo-load and hydrate with Gatorade. Thursday, 45 minute easy run. This will be my last run before the marathon. Saturday, stay off my feet as much as possible. Watch Spirit of the Marathon again. Re-read final chapters of Galloway's Marathon: You Can Do It and Whitsett's Non-runner's Marathon Trainer. Saturday evening, drink one capsule of Celebrex. Prepare my gear. Sleep by 9pm. Race morning. Wake up by 2am. Eat a banana and granola bar. Drink a glass of Gatorade. These are

My race report on the Runrio Trilogy Leg 3: Run United 3 held last Sunday, Nov. 13, 2011 at SM Mall of Asia (MOA). I did the 32K distance. The 32K started at MOA, went to Makati via Buendia Ave., turned around just before Makati Ave. to head back to Roxas Blvd. At Roxas Blvd, we headed towards NAIA Road, then turned around to go to Luneta still via Roxas Blvd. From Luneta, another U-turn to go back to MOA for the finish line. This was my first 32K race and I also used this as my last long run before QCIM on Dec. 4. I was scheduled to do a 37K long run so my plan was a 2K warm up, the 32K race and 3K cool down for a total of 37K. Since this is just a long run in preparation for my marathon I tried really hard not to be in "race mode" and to just relax. Which is hard in a big event like this, with all the energy and excitement of the people around you. I also tried a negative split pacing strategy based on the Marco Marathon Calculator to see if it will work for me and t

Earlier today, I registered for my 1st Marathon - the 3rd QC International Marathon (QCIM). Three weeks to go. Suddenly, I have the jitters.

"If I allowed myself to ... build my identity around my running, what would happen if I started to fade?" "If I measured myself in ... personal records alone, a future of disappointing races was all but assured." - Jen Van Allen, "Don't Ask Me How I Did", Running Times, Oct. 2011

Last weekend I did my scheduled 32K long run. It was very hard but it was a lot better than my previous long run - a scheduled 27K but I was only able to do a little over 25K. My wife even noticed that I looked a lot better than the last time. So, what made the difference? Here's what I think. Nutrition 1. During my scheduled 27K long run, I was also doing Maffetone's Two-week Test, which is basically a no-carb diet for two weeks. Bad idea when doing really long runs. This time, starting two days prior to the long run, I carbo-loaded and hydrated with Gatorade. 2. During my scheduled 27K long run, I started eating only after one and a half hours. This time, I started eating after 45 minutes, and every hour after that. Also, this time, I ate a whole chocolate bar (Choco Mucho Dark Chocolate). Aside from being yummier than Sport Beans or Nutri Bar, it made me happier and it made me look forward to the next meal. I based my nutrition schedule on this Runner's Wor

I have this routine after a run - whether good or bad, of silently thanking everyone and everything involved in the run. Like for my 32K long run this morning, I thank the following ... First, I thank God for being able to run, for giving me the strength to finish my run, for the very nice weather, and for keeping my wife and me safe and injury free. Next, I thank my running buddy - my wife, for running the first 18K with me, and then waiting patiently for me to finish my run. Do you know of a wife who will wait for 3 hours and not start World War 3? If yes, good for you if she's your wife. I also thank the different parts of my body ... I thank my feet for not getting blisters. I thank my toenails for all being accounted for. I thank my plantar fascia for having no signs of plantar fasciitis (knock on wood). I thank my legs for holding up and not cramping. I also thank my gear ... I thank my shoes for being uncharacteristically dry. You weren't annoyingl

"Why worry about these small, small things? I don’t stress. You never hear of anyone dying of happiness.” - Fauja Singh, at 100, the world's oldest marathoner

At this final stage of my marathon training, more than ever is my need for motivation and positive thinking. A few weeks back, I did my longest run ever, and my next and last two will all be my longest runs to date (a 32K and a 37K) It was tough and it's going to get tougher, both physically and mentally. I have been training for the past several months for my first marathon - the QC International Marathon this December. To increase my chances of finishing this marathon, mental training is now as important as my physical training. I have to train myself to believe that I can do it. I have to believe that I have what it takes. And I have to have the right attitude to make it happen. Helping me in this mental training is the book, "Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer (Whitsett, Dolgener, Kole)." The book is based on a 'marathon class' that was offered in the University of Northern Iowa. It contains sixteen chapters which covers one week of the sixteen week

While I was registering my son and brother-in-law for the Nike 10K race at the Nike store in Greenbelt 3, I saw on display the new LunarGlide+ 3. And it was my size - 13; it is so hard to find running shoes in my size in the Philippines. I remembered what my other brother-in-law told me, that if I find the running shoe that I like in my size - it was destiny. I even had a semi-good reason to buy new ones because I couldn't find my LunarGlide+ 2. I was about to succumb to another moment of weakness, but fortunately (or unfortunately) my wife was with me and she got me to snap out of it and I was able to regain control of my credit card. Oh well, I even loved the colorway - black with a red swoosh, and yellow sole. But, it's not meant to be. YET.

My race report on the AXN Runs Philippines held last Sunday - Sept. 18, 2011. I did the 21K distance. This was a very challenging course. I loved it! When it was first announced and I saw the race map, I thought, "Wow! A new venue!" Then, "Yikes! Three flyovers (out and back, so that's six) and a long uphill at the last kilometer! The race starts at the Ortigas Center, Pasig, goes down Julia Vargas to C-5 then traverses C-5 going to Katipunan Ave in Quezon City near Miriam College, then back to Ortigas Center, in the process, passing thru C-5/Ortigas, C-5/Libis and Katipunan/Aurora flyovers. But then, a week before the race, I found out that they changed the route because they were giving way to the Ateneo College Entrance Test being held that weekend. So instead of three flyovers, it became four! They added the Pasig flyover as a bonus. So, the 21K runners will have to run a total of eight flyovers and an uphill in the last kilometer. They really mean

The Run-Walk-Run method has been endorsed and popularized by Olympian Jeff Galloway. And Run-Walk-Run is already almost synonymous to the Galloway method. But as I found out, simply taking walk breaks is not necessarily the Galloway method. Galloway’s recommendations are more precise than simply incorporating walk breaks into your long runs and races. He’s actually very detailed and leaves out the guess work in what pace you should run your long runs and races, and what run-walk ratio you should do based on your pace. He has a test called the Magic Mile and a formula and a table to figure all these out. You can get a good idea of these by reading through the training section of his web site - http://www.jeffgalloway.com/training/index.html . If you want more details of his method, you need to buy one of his books, especially the later ones or the revised ones like – Marathon: You Can Do It – Revised Edition or the book Training Programs. In these books you’ll be able to get det

Last Sunday, I finished my 4th half-marathon - the Yamaha Run for Heroes at the BGC. I joined to see if it is a good idea to use a race for a long run. I didn't target a PR; I targeted a typical 21K long run, which is around 3.5 hours for me. After crossing the finish line - exhausted, cramps and sore feet, I still got to think of The Marathon. And I thought I can't possibly run another 21 kilometers. But somehow, I also thought that running another 3 to 4 hours might still be doable. Weird? Yes, but that's how I felt at the time. Up until yesterday, I was wondering if there was a rationale for this. And looking back at what I think about during these races, I came up with a couple. First are the concepts - how time flies when you are trying to meet a deadline (my target finish time); and when travelling, it seems like it's taking forever to reach your destination (finish line) - "Are we there yet?" Even if my target time in a race may be sub-3 hours,

During my run last Wednesday, there was a point when I was pacing with this other guy. The thing is, I was doing my typical low heart rate easy run and ... he was walking. It looked funny and was embarrassing at the same time. We were together for some time until I took a walk break, then he sped away. Last night, I came across this article - "Happy to be the Tortoise in the Race to Fitness." While I occasionally try to become fast, he is content and enjoys the way he runs. It gives me comfort to know that I'm not alone in the slow lane.

It's nicer to visually see my improvements in running. The pictures above are from RunPix analyses of two of my 10K races. The one on top was my 10K back in May 2010. The one at the bottom is from my 10K last May 2011. It seems that after a year, for the 10K, I've gone from a back-of-the-pack runner to a middle-of-the-pack runner. I'm now working on making the same thing happen to my 21K.

Last weekend, I was reviewing some old videos of me running. These were taken on my first couple of months of running. When my daughter saw them, she commented ... "You look like you're walking and your feet are painful." and ... "It's also like, I'm going to bounce ... nope ... bounce ... nope ... bounce ... nope ... almost, but no ..." I've lost around 30 lbs since that video was taken - more than a year ago. I hope that now, I have more "bounce" to my form and am less painful to watch.

I was having a hard time deciding if I'm going to run my first marathon at the CamSur Marathon. Well, it was decided for me. While attending the parents orientation from my sons' school, I found out that my youngest son's "Father and Son Bonding Activity" was scheduled on September 25 - the same day as CamSur. It's first things first, and it is clear what the priority is. Anyway, there will be other marathons. I'll just take this as an opportunity to focus on letting my plantar fascia heal and to focus on losing more weight, before going back to marathon training.

My race report on the Mizuno Infinity Run 11. I did the 21K distance. Since this event has a "beat my pace" challenge, my wife who ran 5K last year signed up for the 5K together with my son who wanted to beat his 5K PR of 26 minutes. Although I ran the 10K distance last year, I signed up for the 21K because in the marathon plan that I was previously following, I was scheduled for a 21K on this date. I since changed plans from Pat Carrol's to Galloway's because I couldn't keep up with it because of Plantar Fasciitis. In the past few weeks my running wasn't consistent because of sickness, rains and vacations. So now, I also decided to use this race as a reality check if I'm fit and healthy enough to continue training for a marathon. I haven't decided yet. I'll give it a day or two, and I'll blog my decision. I haven't been feeling well lately and I still have a cough, so I didn't plan to beat my PR of 2:55. I targeted a 3:00 to

My race report on the Greentennial Half Marathon. I did the 16K distance. The report has a similar format as my Perfect Race blog post. This is my first 16K! My wife ran her second 16K and my son ran his first 10K. I didn't have big expectations from this race as I just came from being sick and missed a lot of running days, plus my left foot still hurts. My plan for this race was to pace with my wife who planned a 2:1 run-walk ratio. The most memorable thing with this race was the heat. It was so hard because it was so hot. Kudos to the organizers for lots of water - I practically took baths at water stations at the last 5 kilometers, and for lots of ice - I put ice on my head held by my cap which worked to cool me in between water stations. I don't normally go through those water showers because I don't want to get my shoes wet, but this time, I didn't want to leave. It was a good thing the course was flat all the way, I'm sure I would have entertained thoug

My race report on the Goldilocks Fun Run 2011 held on May 15, 2011. I did the 10K distance. The report has a similar format as my Perfect Race blog post. I joined this race as scheduled in my marathon training plan . New PR at 1:16! I shaved around 3 minutes off from my previous PR! The PR surprised me a bit because I didn't run the whole week prior to race week and on the week of the race, I just ran twice for 30-45 minutes at a very easy pace. Speed work is still not for me. I developed heel pain again, so before it became a full blown plantar fasciitis injury, I decided to stop running for a week to let it heal and run really easy the following week. To prevent further injuries, I also decided to revert back to Galloway's marathon training plan instead of Pat Carroll's . My plan for this race was to do a 1 minute walk break at each water station. After the first water station and on the first hill, I decided to do a 4:1 run-walk ratio instead because it was so ho

While I was surfing the net looking for a replacement for my Mizuno Elixir that broke, I found Mizuno Precision Fit Online . It is another one of those online tools that ask you questions, analyse your answers, and determine what kind of running shoes are for you. I tried two before, Road Runner Sports' Shoe Dog , and Nike's Shoe Finder . Both really just asked basic questions like gender, weight, arch type etc. With Nike's Shoe Finder, on my first attempt, it suggested stability shoes with the then new LunarGlide at the top of the list. I experimented and changed the parameters several times and it gave out LunarGlide every time. Maybe it is because the LunarGlide is for all types of runners? Well I did buy myself LunarGlides and in fairness, I love them and among my six pairs, they're my favorite. With Shoe Dog, it said that I needed motion control shoes. I also recently had my gait analysed at Runnr, and the staff who did the analysis said that I needed stabil

BAD NEWS: My Mizuno Elixir broke this evening. GOOD NEWS: I have a good excuse to get new running shoes. Woohooo!

After my second 21K, I have set my sights on The Marathon. As usual, my first task was to research. I'd like to share the different training plans that I have come across. Of course, Galloway's run-walk-run marathon training. He claims to have polished his training plan after successfully training hundreds of thousands of runners. http://www.jeffgalloway.com/training/marathon.html Author of the book "Lore of Running" - Tim Noakes' marathon plan. He said this plan has been field tested and had good results. http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/marathon-training.html Renowned podiatrist and writer, Dr. Pribut's "Two Steps Forward, One Step Back" approach. http://www.drpribut.com/blog/index.php/2010/03/two-steps-forward-one-step-back-gently-approaching-the-marathon/ Pat Carroll's Training Diaries for the 2011 Gold Coast Marathon. He has won the Gold Coast Marathon four times and is now a coach. http://www.goldcoastmarathon.com.au/default.asp?PageID=1

Race singlets have never been a major factor for me in deciding to join a race. Until now. My wife and I went to ROX in Boni High Street to register for the Goldilocks and Greentennial runs that will be held on May 15 and 22 respectively. Goldilocks touted a New Balance race singlet. In my opinion, it looked and felt more like a New Balance knock-off. Greentennial had a choice of a singlet or a T-Shirt. I chose the T-Shirt. I would have registered for these races, whether the singlets were great or not. I actually prefer a finisher's shirt than a race singlet. I seldom use the race singlets because I'm usually not comfortable in them. They would either be too itchy, thick or heavy for me. The few that I used and liked are the singlets from Globe Run for Home 2010, Milo Manila Elims 2010 and Adidas KOTR 2010. From ROX, we walked across to the Runnr store and there I saw a couple trying on nice neon yellow Brooks singlets. I also noticed they were holding registration

My race report on the Globe Run for Home 2011 held on March 27, 2011. I did the half-marathon distance. The report has a similar format as my Perfect Race blog post. My plan for this race was to do a 2:1 run-walk ratio from the start and aim for 3-hours again (my PR before this was 3:07). At the starting line, I positioned myself at the very rear so that I don't get carried away by the pace of the other runners and so that I won't be blocking other runners when I take my walk breaks as early as after the first 2 minutes of the race. There weren't a lot of 21K runners, and looking around, I was a little intimidated by how fit the other 21K runners looked. I was thinking there was a real possibility that I will be coming in last. True enough, at the start of the race, I was bringing up the rear. Occasionally, there will be the late runners who will be passing me. And during my first walk break after two minutes, it was dark and lonely. After a kilometer or so, I start

"Slow > DNF > DNS" I just read this on the Net. It's something that'll help slow runners like me, and those just starting out, to keep going. "Slow is better than not finishing. Not finishing is better than not starting at all." And this doesn't always refer to racing.

I got an extra treat with my run tonight in UP. The UP Pep Squad Drummers were practicing in front (or is that the back) of the UP Theater, which is by the academic oval. Coincidentally, every time I passed by them, they would start playing their drums. It was like I was being cheered on. I have never experienced being cheered on in a race as frequent as every 2.2 kilometers, but tonight, the runners in UP got just that. It is also the UP Fair this week at the Sunken Garden. So, there was a festive atmosphere in that area, just like in the activity area at the end of a race. After your run, you can also get there your fill of the famous UP isaw, fish balls and balut. I love running; specially in UP!

My race report on the Condura Skyway Marathon 2011 held on Feb. 6, 2011. I did the half-marathon distance. The report has a similar format as my Perfect Race blog post. Water Stations: Many and well stocked. Some had sponges. It's a good thing I still brought my hydration belt because at the second half of the race, a 1.5km interval between stations is still too far for me. I needed to drink more frequently. I didn't notice water stations at the finish line. Cheering: Yes. From the Takbo.ph station at Buendia and near the end of the race. Route: The route was nice and simple. But the rolling hills of the Skyway and the Kalayaan flyover were hard. Traffic management: Very good. There were no cars on the route. Kilometer Markers: There were markers but it was still not at every kilometer. Weather: Cool. Marshals: There were enough and they knew what they were doing. Singlets: They gave a nice T-Shirt. I didn't use this in the run. Timing chip: Yes. Race Results: